Medford woman will be tried for husband's murder

Saturday

Feb 2, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 2, 2013 at 3:00 AM

YREKA, Calif. — Siskiyou County Superior Court Judge William Davis determined Friday there was enough evidence to try Patricia MacCallum, 26, of Medford, for the November murder of her husband, Michael Christopher MacCallum.

YREKA, Calif. — Siskiyou County Superior Court Judge William Davis determined Friday there was enough evidence to try Patricia MacCallum, 26, of Medford, for the November murder of her husband, Michael Christopher MacCallum.

Amber Lubbers, 27, of Medford, who pleaded guilty Thursday in Siskiyou County Superior Court to one count of being an accessory after the fact in the murder of Michael MacCallum, testified at Patricia MacCallum's hearing. The women are stepsisters.

"She laid out her participation and MacCallum's participation in the crime," Siskiyou County District Attorney Kirk Andrus said Friday.

Patricia MacCallum is charged with first-degree murder.

According to Andrus, Davis bound the charges over, determining there was probable cause and that prosecutors may take the murder case to trial. MacCallum is scheduled to be arraigned in Siskiyou County Superior Court on Feb. 19, when a trial date will be determined.

"We are still continuing the investigation," said Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey.

Lubbers' testimony during the hearing corroborates with the results of the investigation and the evidence, said Lopey.

"She admitted to being involved with the crime with Tricia," said Lopey.

Michael MacCallum, who worked in Medford as a bartender and as a driver for Checker Cab, was found Nov. 20 at the base of a cliff in Northern California after family members had reported him missing.

Police determined the 34-year-old died of a gunshot wound but did not say how many times he'd been shot or where. Lubbers and MacCallum were arrested Dec. 7 in Medford.

If convicted of the first-degree murder charge, Patricia MacCallum faces a sentence of 25 years to life.

Sentencing for Lubbers was scheduled for Feb. 28. She faces up to three years in prison.

"It's nice to derive some sense of closure for the victim's family," said Lopey. "Things are progressing well, and we'll keep working on it."

Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office investigators are continuing to develop leads that could be helpful during the jury trial. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the office at 530-841-2900.